The west is the place to be this Easter weekend as the east of the country looks set to bear the brunt of yet more bad weather.

Colder temperatures will dampen spirits of Easter Egg hunts as from the middle of the week showers are expected to sweep across eastern counties including Waterford, Dublin and Meath, according to Met Eireann.

Forecaster John Eagleton said showers will be "very unstable" and winds will become "easterly from Wednesday or Thursday" with conditions turning "miserable" through to Easter Monday.

He said the east will become particularly "exposed" from the middle of the week.

Western counties including Galway and Mayo will have "the best of the weather" and those looking to get outdoors over the weekend will be best advised to head west, he said.

Temperatures will be half of what they were this time last year and will drop to as low as 5 degrees in some places from Wednesday. Saturday will see the best of the weather as temperatures will climb briefly before dropping back for the rest of the long weekend.

The chilly conditions come just three weeks after the Beast from the East met Storm Emma to bring the country to a standstill.

While Met Eireann has said they don’t expect a return to the severe conditions experienced earlier this month, they have said the outlook is not good for a number of days next week.